Lord Tebbit is one of Britain's most outspoken conservative commentators and politicians. He was a senior cabinet minister in Margaret Thatcher's government and is a former Chairman of the Conservative Party. He has also worked in journalism, publishing, advertising and was a pilot in the RAF and British Overseas Airways.

What Cameron should tell Obama about BP – and Gary McKinnon

I do not envy David Cameron the task not only of protecting British interests but also of helping President Obama protect those of the United States. That demands that their exchanges exclude both ass kicking and licking in favour of frank talking.

The facts are clear enough. Under the leadership of Lord Browne, BP not only contracted out the management of those nasty dirty jobs like drilling for oil and refining it, it progressively got rid of anyone who knew any thing about such old-fashioned activities. The New, Modern, Green, Progressive, BP made excellent profits, but failed to heed the failures in parts of its business for which it was still responsible but had discarded the skills to manage.

The Americans have even more right to be angry about that than the investors who stand to lose a great deal of money. Most of it is, of course, not theirs, but that of pensioners whose funds they manage. That is bound to cost BP shareholders dear.

What Mr Cameron has to explain to the President is that winding up a hate campaign against the British is not a terribly smart policy. It may win Mr Obama political support amongst the less well-informed voters right now, but the long-term effects are less sure. BP is also a major US company. Busting it might not be a very smart idea and not just on economic grounds. The message that non-US companies are likely to be treated as political punchbags would be a profoundly political message, too.

As if that were not enough, Mr Cameron will also have to explain to the President that there can be no question of allowing the extradition of Gary McKinnon, the Asperger's syndrome sufferer who made a fool of the US government by hacking into its secret computer networks. As the now Deputy Prime Minister said on December 15 last year while campaigning against McKinnon's extradition, "it is up to the Government here to do the right thing".

The Prime Minister must now choose between compelling his Deputy to eat his words and betraying McKinnon, or telling the President that just as the American government protected IRA terrorists from extradition to face judgment here on the grounds that they would not be given a fair trial, so he will protect Mr McKinnon.

All rather disagreeable, but being Prime Minister is about more than posing on the step of Number 10.

I think that I am beginning to understand how to find most of your posts and to meet up again with some of you under different names – even silly ones like 'ooopiop'. I was particularly glad that 'Locusts and Wild Honey' is back with the suggestion of an EU football team. It could be selected by something like the Eurovision Song Contest. Even better, it could lose in its first match and we could forget the whole thing and have more cricket on TV.

There were many comments on the great NuLab leadership race. I have no doubt that the best outcome would be a narrow win for Dianne Abbott. That should keep them out of office for a long time to come.

I am sorry that 'ruralidiot' thinks I am a warmist. I am entirely unconvinced about global warming or whether man is responsible for it. I am, however, in favour of conserving our limited supplies of hydrocarbons.

Like 'hagar', I am incensed, but not surprised that the EU should be gathering information about extremists, by which they mean opponents of the proposed neo-fascist Euro republic.

And thank you for pointing out Howard Flight's contribution to Conservative Home. What a shame that Howard was purged from the Party for telling the truth about public expenditure. He would have made a great Chief Secretary.

There is a lot in antoncheckout's suggestion that one problem for NuLab with central Europeans is that they have memories of what socialism means and are not natural NuLab supporters.

Although 'phadreus' made some interesting points, I feel that 'scaryteacher' and 'historyscooper' are right to say that while Islam may be a monotheist Middle Eastern religion, it utterly denies Christianity.

Finallly, welcome back 'Bersher'. Do not think I am neutral on the right of Israel to exist or the attacks from those who deny that right. It is just that I feel she is not very good at making her case these days.